Archive for October, 2012

I’m thinking the bedroom is looking a little blah. Maybe adding some bold colors and stripes will brighten in up a bit.

I don’t have a big budget, but I do have a bunch of West Elm gift cards I’ve been collecting with credit card reward points, so I’m thinking I’ll head there for some nightstands and new pillowcases. The foot of the bed would look great with the classic Pendleton Glacier Blanket, and it will keep me warm in the winter, too. The left wall really needs something- like a giant piece of art, and Ikea has some affordable options. After adding so many other graphic elements, I think my current curtains will look wonky, so I’m looking for some white curtains, or something with the same colors as the blanket and pillowcase.

Have you ever planned out a room in advance? I tend to just buy things when I see them, but I’m trying to be more mindful of what I bring into the house, for design and budget reasons. I’ll let you know what the end result is!

Have you discovered the new BBC import, Call the Midwife? The series is based on the memoirs of a woman who worked as a nurse and midwife in the early 1950s in London’s East End. You can catch up here.

Young Nurse Jenny and her fellow nurses bicycle to all of their appointments and deliveries wearing the smart uniform of a simple blue dress, a deep red cardigan, matching beret, and a navy trench.

The Peter Pan collar is on trend right now, and really gives this outfit its retro feel. The simple grey dress provides a great basic foundation for the whole look. Purple on the cardigan provides a subtle amount of color (red would just be too much). Tom’s suede wedges are a nod to the durable shoes worn by the nurses, and this Steve Madden coat is an insulated update to the classic trench.

This little bar area in the apartment started out as function rather than form. Behind those canvas panels are boxes and boxes of various wires and other computer things for Brian. The shelves itself is a fairly utility-looking number from Ikea that I picked up off of Craigslist for $20 a few years ago. After “slipcovering” the shelves I figured I’d better jump on the bar cart bandwagon to pretty it up. I added the print last year (West Elm), and the whole thing looked okay, but I knew it could look better. I found this lamp at a local store, The Standard, last week, and it is just what was needed! Now, in a perfect world I would hang the print, but I tried that before, and it came crashing down, and as a result the glass cracked and we spent a good chunk of change getting the frame fixed. I’m just a little shy to hang this piece again.